Chapter 11 - Susan

I was about 12 years old when Peter Shelford's wife, Te Aurere, died. She had this baby that I wished I could have so Mama went to the tangi and asked if we could have this baby but Peter and family had already given her to another lady to look after, Te Wehi Rameka, so we missed out. About six weeks later Peter brought the baby Pearl to Auntie Amy to look after, she was sick. Auntie Amy came down the next morning very early. She told us what had happened. I didn't go to school that day, I went and stayed with Auntie Amy and her two babies. She had a baby herself, not very much older than Pearl, so I'm sure she was very pleased that I was with her to help her to look after the babies. In the afternoon Uncle George Shelford came home from work and Auntie Amy told him that I was there all day with the baby, he asked me if I wanted to take the baby home with me for the weekend. I said I would. He told Auntie Amy to pack up some kai and napkins and let the cousins come with me to help me to take our baby to my home. The baby was on parawa tahu, she had patito head and chaffed bottom.

Mama and Papa was thrilled when I got home with my baby. I was supposed to take Pearl back on Sunday afternoon but Peter Shelford came to visit before I did and he had another four other children. He told Mum that he had got all his children back with him. Mum asked him if we could have Pearl, we'll look after her. So that's how we got Pearl. She was very dear to us. Later on Mum looked after all the other children until Peter married again. He took all the other children except Pearl.

Papa died 13 October 1953 and the following January, Pearl died on the 3rd in 1954. Mama said that Papa never used to help her to look after their own children, it took Pearl before he looked after children. He used to get up in the middle of the night to get her a cup of tea or whatever she wanted.

Mum was a very special Lady. She always helped anybody, our home was open to anyone and everyone.

I married Te Miha Matiu Pou, alias Tim Pou, on 20 March 1948. We had our first child on 21 July 1950. We have had eleven beautiful children and also another two to the family, Robert and Deanna. I had three children when father died, five when mother died. My darling died on 28 May 1976, Rest in Peace our Pap. We have twenty-seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

We moved into Kamo on 2 February 1964. Lived in Pakotai most of the years before that at the old homestead. There's been some very good memories. We were about two years in Maungakaramea and two years in Okaihau, about three years at the Opouteke Timber Mill.

I can remember our first trip to Ratana Pa. Mama and Papa, sister Annie, Margaret Ryder, Tim and I. We had two children; Flo was eighteen months and Kawe three months old. Bubby and Pearl were there also. Papa had to start walking to the road to catch our bus at 7 o'clock. Our bus left at 8.15. He suffered with asthma. At the Pa he used to stay in our sleeping quarters almost all day, so he was a good babysitter for Kawe. As for Flo, she was Annie's baby, between her and Margaret Ryder. It was a most enjoyable trip and stay at the Pa for about one week those days, now we stay only three or four days the most.

The three eldest boys joined the Omeka Reo, that's the Mangakahia Brass Band. The Ratana Church Band - Pen, Samuel Alfred (Canny), Tohu (Sonny), Elvis, David and Maurice.

I love all my brothers and sisters, although I didn't really know my eldest sister, I first saw her when Papa died; I was thirty-five years old. It was very sad for the family when brother Bob died - first one of the family to die since Mum died.

I can remember Mama saying when Papa shaved his moustache she had a big tangi because she really liked him with his moustache. I also remember Doreen and I going to get the milking cows from down the paddocks on the horse. Our horse bolted and we fell-off. Doreen got winded, I was so scared I said my prayers. That's matua (I was about ten years old), I wasn't supposed to be on the horse with Doreen, Norman said. I also remember asking Fred what was a stone in Maori, he said it was a kota and a shell was a kohatu.

I used to like it when the family came home to see us as they used to bring some goodies such as chocolates, whole cartons of it, but I used to have to share the chocolates with their dogs.

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Editorial Notes

• It would appear that Susan wrote this panui herself. 

• None of the pictures attached to the Reunion Book had captions so any assistance with describing these would be appreciated (see contacts) 

• Any corrections, additional information or pictures relevant to this whanau chapter or whakapapa can also be submitted

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